Of Kings and Crowns, of Adventure and Magic
by ShiroInuNoKage
Summary: All I have spoken is the truth. Truth passed down from generations of kings, keeping the histories alive for all to remember. But this was not all there was. No, I read much more of the adventures of the Tenth than could ever be told in legend and hearsay. Whether you believe what I say to be the complete story or not is the decision I put to you. Listen, my friend, and remember..
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone! After years of not being on Ff, I decided to finally come back with a couple of KHR fics. I have one that is complete late-at-night-and-delusional crack drabbles of the Ten-Year Bazooka, which will probably never really be updated cause I try not to stay up late, and I have this one. My real and true attempt at writing something enjoyable. This is inspired by the class I am taking at my university on the legends of King Arthur. I'm basically taking all sorts of elements from the different arthurian romance authors and KHR and putting it in one of Gokudera's dynamite sticks. Now let's throw it and watch what happens when it blows up. I hope it'll look prettier than Lussuria. [Not hard. But then again I have only written essays for the past few years.] Anyways, enjoy this early preview. For though I am working partly on the first chapter, the semester is almost over (read: EXAMS ARE EVERYWHERE) and I have no idea when I will be able to update again. Definitely after May 1st, though. Please be patient until then. *scratches head* Well, here goes!**

* * *

They say that deep in the annals of the country of which few know and of which even fewer have trod, there is a book. And in that book is the most important tale of their history: a tale of the Tenth King of the Vongol, the one who united the different peoples and brought the country to its most powerful era since its conception. No one is allowed to read this book; it is a national treasure to the Vongol, one that they guard with their lives. Luckily for you, I know a few practitioners of the old ways. Through their help, I was able to...peruse the annals and read this tale. Would you like to know the tale? Of course, my time comes with a price – I'm a weary traveler, after all. But before we discuss anything, allow me to tell you about the King and his men.

The Tenth was powerful, charismatic, and brave. He fought many battles with foreign kings and dangers before he was even crowned, saving the unknowing Vongol from destruction and oppression. Nowhere could one find his equal in martial prowess; not even his loyal knights could entirely best him once he became serious. Despite this, the King was kind and just. He knew that his power came because of the people and would continue so long as his people continued. Friend to all, enemy only to those who hurt others: that was the Tenth.

His knights were mighty; six they numbered, and five remained close. Of the other, well – let's just say he wandered as the beasts went during the changing seasons. Strongest of the knights he stayed near yet far, the moat dug in defense of the castle proper. The rest followed the vanguard, defending with flame and arrow, sword and fist. They too made names for themselves, in both King's court and on Vongol soil. Beloved by the people, but above all beloved of the Tenth: these were the Knights, the guardians of the Vongol's newest sky.

It has even been said that one of these knights – these guardians – was a practitioner of the old ways, of the mystical and the illusionary. He was never seen – but as an illusionist, maybe that was the crux of the matter. The important piece of the armor, as it were. Foregoing the mist surrounding his identity, it has never been questioned that the Tenth never seemed to fall through any sort of magical means. The final decision, however, is for you to make.

There was another mentioned in the book. One of great power, of great wisdom and of even greater intelligence. This adviser to the King is described of taking the form of a child, one of unending innocence and purity. He discovered the King, he kept safe the King, and he himself crowned the King. The part he plays in the annals is not the smallest nor the largest, but nevertheless is one of the most important.

All I have spoken is the truth. Truth passed down from generations of kings, keeping the histories of the Vongol alive for all to remember. But this was not all there was in the annals. No, I read much more of the adventures of the Tenth than could ever be told in legend and hearsay. Whether you believe what I say to be the complete story or not is the decision I put to you, my friend. Shall I tell you this tale? Shall I tell you of the journey the Tenth undertook to become what you know him to have been?

The Tenth King of the Vongol.

Sawada Tsunayoshi.


	2. Into the Woods

**Hello, all! I would first like to apologize that this was written so late; my muse, once college was over, left and came back with a to-do list that seemed a mile long. And when I refused to complete it, he left...and came back with a Leon-gun. Needless to say, I've been busy. It's a never-ending vicious cycle. But with all the pain and annoyance of pulling teeth in the 19th century, I wrote this. I wanted to at least give you something. It's only been read over once or twice, so if you see something stupid, lemme know, 'kay?**

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own KHR! ...Or any Arthurian legend. Though I do own copies, which I use as reference material. Oh, and I have no idea the silver/gold mine status of the 6th-ish century. So I made something up. Hell, I don't know if they even had it...oh well. Suspension of disbelief and all that lovely stuff.**

**Oh, and I know how much I detest when people use random Japanese words in their fics when they are obviously speaking in Japanese...but I felt that using the Old English parent and child names give it a sense of...oldness. Plus, it's sort-of-kind-of still English. And I imagine this being said in the voice of Morgan Freeman, but if you want to imagine another, go ahead. I'd love to hear which you chose.**

* * *

So you've chosen to hear my story. Listen you well, my friend, and believe...

This tale begins in a small subset of Vongol. There is a field, one quiet and safe, with the tall grass in which small children can so easily hide themselves away. There are no wild animals save for herbivores and small carnivores, all of which neither fear nor are a danger to the people of the area. In the middle of this field there lies a small figure. A boy, barely into the age of manhood, with unruly hair the color of the bark of the tallest tree in the forest. Walking the path to dreams and visions, the young man naps, until afternoon gives way to darkness. Only then does the child wake and realize the error he has made...

* * *

Tsunayoshi sits up, bleary and only half aware of his surroundings. Running his hand over his face and hair, he tries to remember exactly what he was doing before the present moment.

_"Tsuna!" The aforementioned groans, wishing that his modor would just let him go hike around the forest in peace. Wrapping the rope lead of his horse about the small fence in his front yard, he walks into the house to discover what it was that his modor wanted. It was a small house, with only two rooms; one that he and his modor slept in, and the other used for cooking and the hosting of guests. Not that they ever had any guests. With a sunu whose faeder was never seen nor heard, Sawada Nana was an outsider to society, never invited to the Midsummer celebrations or the feasts for the deities of the times. Often Tsuna became angered that the other townsfolk ostracized his modor; she was a kind woman who always happily gave up her time for others. She should not have been considered the consort of incubi – or worse. Nana, however, could not have been less bothered by their treatment. As she told Tsuna many times, he was her everything. So long as she had her sunu, she could continue on in the face of social exile. She always concluded their intercourse with one hopeful detail: that maybe one day he would meet his faeder. Tsuna hoped that he could; if he knew then he could live knowing that his modor was happy with her existence. "Tsuna!" she calls again, he not pausing as he finds her in their shared bedroom. She sits on her bedroll, her small chest of belongings open in her lap. _

_"Yes, Modor?" Tsuna asks, still wishing that he could have just ridden away. Not often does his modor let him explore with abandon, and he would prefer to take advantage of it. _

_"Tsuna, sit here." his modor beckons him beside her, all the while reaching in for something in her possession. Turning back she drops the object on his knee. "This is a gift bequeathed to me by your faeder, to give to you upon your entry into manhood. It is still early, I understand; but something has compelled me into giving you your inheritance early. Mayhaps you shall need it soon..?" she trails off, uncertain as to her own reasoning, but sure all the same. Tsuna cups the ring betwixt his palms, admirable of its silver sheen. Silver was hard to come by in that era, now that the mines located close to the surface were depleted. Looking closer Tusna takes note of an insignia. It is the typical shield of the noble houses, yet there is something different about this one. It has additional markings, a complicated network of gold working its way across the silver shield. Confused, he turns to his modor and asks,_

_"Modor? This resembles not a regular ring for the nobles. There is gold filigree here. Why?" His modor looks confused, reaching out and grabbing the ring to examine it herself. Once she has seen to her heart's content, she gives back the ring, lightly laughing._

_"I shall admit to you, my dear Tsunayoshi, that I never have noticed that before. In truth I have set my eyes upon that ring for many a summer, yet I do not ever recall seeing that previously." She smiles so wide that her eyes are closed, and with not more than a, "Beware the fay folk, Tsuna! They dance at the coming of night, so return to me before then or they may snatch you away!" young Tsunayoshi was away, making haste to the evergreen freedom the forest offered. Exploring a while he comes upon this field most quiet and pleasant, and decides that a nap would not be too much a merit for punishment._

Of course, that was before he awoke. Now, in the fading light of day with naught but his horse to aid him, Tsuna is regretful. In addition he is also quite concerned about the fay folk his modor mentioned...earlier in the day he would have sworn on the ring now hanging around his neck that the fay did not exist. However the dark lends much more credence to the legends his modor used to tell of weary travelers who trespassed the fay in their dances – and never were to be seen again.

The thought of his little pony – for it could barely be called a horse, despite naming it so for his own ridiculous pride and self-worth – spurs Tsuna to action. What was his first order of business, you ask? Well, that was a simple one: finding the steed. For although young Tsuna had indeed heeded the warnings of his modor on a nonconscious level, he had also the pride and misguided and misplaced sense of imperviousness that younglings often have at his year. So when the time had come to hobble his pony so as to keep her safe and contained in the field, he had cut corners that should not have been cut – leaving him where he is now. Alone and lost amidst the shadows of the night.

* * *

Ah, excuse me, damosel, would you be so kind as to hand over that tankard of cider? Speaking for such a time does leave the throat quite parched. Thank you. Now, where was I?

Yes, quite right.

* * *

But all hope was not lost. Tsuna, despite his youth and inexperience, shows remarkable vigor and – dare I say – an air of almost-nobility as he simultaneously panics, hides said panic, and searches for his dear steed. His search is systematic, leaving not one blade of grass unchecked; he projects none of the white noise that has become his thoughts. His air of nonchalance brings his search to a quick end, the pony being at the very edge of the northern border of the clearing and deeming the area safe based on the body language from Tsunayoshi. Grabbing the reins the boy heaves himself up into the makeshift saddle, riding the horse as fast as he can in the moonlight. He keeps the possibility of injuring the animal at the forefront of his mind, for to wound it would not only gain him more trouble on top of being late but would deprive his modor the only mode of transportation that they had.

The ride through the forest is tense; Tsuna as taut as a freshly drawn bowstring. He continuously searches the trees around him, every snapping branch or owl's call causing him to jump. He wonders if he is heading in the proper quarter. Darkness has a way of creating landmarks, a fact which does not escape him. The little pony fares no better. She shies at every turn despite soothing and must be held back with a surprisingly firm hand by Tsuna. Stopping to survey his surroundings, he listens intently for anything. The very trees seem wary as if they too were holding their breath, waiting...for what, I am sure no one knows or will ever know. What right is it of ours to know the secret feelings and fears of the ancient forests?

Tsuna gets more and more anxious the longer he and his mount stand there. He is certain that the sudden quiet was caused by the fay; at any moment they would appear and take him away. The fear eats at him; his reactions to the forest's noises are aggravated from small twitches and looks to the treeline to ones such as prey does to hide from predators. Hunching down to make himself a smaller target he nudges his horse, intending to take a chance and escape as fast as possible. She takes three steps and then stops, her ears swiveled to a location on his right. No amount of urging will budge her from where she stands. _Oh no_, his mind groans, _the fay are here! Modor, I love you and I am sorry that I never listened to you. If I make it out of here even remotely alive I will never not keep your advice in my mind._ In his terror he almost misses the voice that rang strong from the dark.

"Always respect your modor, or any elder. I would have thought that you had learned that lesson previously, however there is no time like the present to begin, you churl."

Tsuna froze. Again the strange voice – _was it a young voice?,_ he asked himself – makes itself clear.

"You are as cowardly as a castle's kitchen boy. If you desire the answer then look over here. Don't be useless, churl. I do not approve of useless." The tone brooks no argument, no recalcitrance. Tsuna looks over and barely sees – _a child?_ He begins to laugh, feeling foolish that such a young one could put him in place and frighten him. Concern blankets him, prompting him to inquire,

"Are you lost, little one?"

The look he receives could have frozen even the Devil's Sea. The child's eyes flash. A tree branch fell from the shadowed canopy, landing next to his little mount. She rears, almost unseating Tsuna but another flash and she settles down, eerily still. Tsuna, breathing hard, imagines that maybe this child was indeed one of the fay. When he looks back to apologize, however, the child is not there. He cannot find him despite a couple of minutes of searching the treeline. Just as he turns his horse and spurs her to movement he hears, directly behind him in the saddle,

"You were not forgetting about me, were you, churl?"

The following scream could probably have been heard even in the ancient kingdom of Camelot, the land of the Britons – though Tsunayoshi denied it when the story was retold.

* * *

...Did you enjoy the beginning of my tale? I'm glad; now please excuse me. I need to eat and sleep, so that I can continue this for you in the future. The child? You will discover who he is soon, and what he is to accomplish.

The one they call Reborn.

* * *

**I hope you liked it; I tried to keep the old bard-y kind of telling, but keep the speech more modern-ish. Oh, and I've been watching a LOT of Merlin, so there may have been some influences in there - probably obvious ones. I don't own that either. I have absolutely no idea when I will be able to continue this. I really need to keep practicing driving my new standard car, as it will be my transport to University and back. Hope to get back to you soon!**

**-Kage**


End file.
